JAMES I. : DISPUTES WITH THE DUTCH 



197 



>n board "twa of the smallest pecceis of hir ordinance and 

 muscattis, with some few bullets ansuerable thairto, and 

 a litill quantitie of poulder, yf ony be within the schip." 1 

 Orders were given for the manning of the vessel, which was 

 to be ready to sail before 1st July. It was with this scrimp 

 and penurious armament, and in this attorney-like manner, that 

 James prepared to obtain an acknowledgment from the Dutch 

 of his rights in his seas, whereas Charles I., as we shall see, 

 employed his great ship-money fleet for the same purpose. 

 But apparently the king would be almost as satisfied with a 

 refusal as with the payment of the tribute, either of which he 

 would be able to make use of in the negotiations for the " final 

 treaty" on which he had set his heart. It is therefore un- 

 fortunate that we can discover no further information as to the 

 expedition of Fenton. That the Charles left on its mission we 

 know, 2 but the records are silent as to the result. It may 

 perhaps be inferred from this circumstance alone that the 

 diaries was no more successful than the Restore in the year 

 before. 



Early in 1620 the States, which had taken no steps to re- 

 deem their promise to send another embassy to deal with the 

 question of the herring fishery, were reminded of it, and 

 Carleton urged this course as a point both of policy and 

 honour. But they were as reluctant as ever to handle the 



latter. The increased duty which Fenton was commanded to 

 ask of which very probably they had heard was not likely 

 to make them more willing, and they continued to procrasti- 

 nate, alleging the unsettled state of their affairs at home and 

 the troubles in Bohemia and Germany as reasons for further 

 delay. Some prominent men in Holland indeed began now 

 to assume a firmer tone. Hints were thrown out to the British 

 ambassador that there was really little difference between forc- 

 ing on the matter and declaring war, since freedom of fishing 

 was of fundamental importance to the people of the United 

 Provinces. The Prince of Orange gave it as his opinion that 

 the seaport towns of Holland would never be brought to con- 

 sent to " any innovation " in the herring fishery, even if it were 

 urged at the cannon's mouth. Still more significant was the 



;tion of the States in now voting large additional sums for 

 1 Op. cit., 593, 603. 2 Footnote, p. 195. 



